The final
confrontation between Kevin and John Milton, in which Kevin kills
himself in order to defeat Milton (Satan).

Father Figure/Jungian Shadow Figure

Kevin must confront his father/Satan - the shadow
of his personality.

Greed

A stunning depiction of the seduction of power and
money, and the twisting of reality to fit whatever goals we,
personally might have. Good for illustrations of the satanic, greed,
not recognizing evil when it stares you in the face, and our failure
to discern what is evil from what is good.

Inability to
recognize evil

A stunning depiction of the seduction of power and
money, and the twisting of reality to fit whatever goals we,
personally might have. Good for illustrations of the satanic, greed,
not recognizing evil when it stares you in the face, and our failure
to discern what is evil from what is good.

Moral decisions are not always "biggies"
but rather decisions that confront us, unknown, every day of our
lives.

"Vanity is definitely my favorite sin."
Milton/Satan.

Institutional Evil

Professional oaths are used as a substitute for
moral responsibility.

Satan

A stunning depiction of the seduction of power and
money, and the twisting of reality to fit whatever goals we,
personally might have. Good for illustrations of the satanic, greed,
not recognizing evil when it stares you in the face, and our failure
to discern what is evil from what is good.

Milton as a Nietschean devil.

Rationalizing evil/sin

The seductive
power of evil/sin

A stunning depiction of the seduction of power and
money, and the twisting of reality to fit whatever goals we,
personally might have. Good for illustrations of the satanic, greed,
not recognizing evil when it stares you in the face, and our failure
to discern what is evil from what is good.

Temptation

A great temptation scene where the Milton (as
Satan) takes Kevin to the top of a building. Kevin and Milton step
out onto a waterfall where they survey all of Manhattan as Milton
offers Kevin "the world" in return for what we later learn
is his soul. Great imagery of opportunity and "fall."

Kevin makes the right decision in
"temptation" scene at the end of the story. Yet
immediately following that, he faces another "temptation"
which he does not recognize. Moral decisions and
"temptations" are often not big events, but rather they
confront us every day of our lives.